Angel of Mercy
by WhiteSaille
Summary: During one of his first missions for the Organization, new recruit Axel encounters both a mysterious enemy who seems determined to destroy him and an unlikely ally with powers that may change the Organization's understanding of Nobodies.
1. Chapter 1: Watcher in the Mist

_So all throughout the silent night_

_She must her tireless vigil keep -_

_Untouched by sorrow or delight,_

_She knows no need for mortal sleep._

_And weary on the road below_

_The lonely travelers trundle by_

_Toward worlds the Maid can never know,_

_For she cannot her fate defy._

_- "The Knight of the Tower," lines 103-110_

Axel quickened his steps, black-gloved hands tensing slightly. He hated this mission, scouting alone on a backward little world while the others were no doubt doing something interesting. There were strange energy readings in this area, and the Superior had wanted it thoroughly checked, but Axel had seen nothing out of the ordinary. A few villages and a seemingly endless forest – that was about it. By now Axel was bored, and tired, and he wanted to go home.

_Home. _The spiky redhead briefly stopped in his tracks at that word. He hadn't thought of the Castle That Never Was as "home" before. Maybe he was starting to get used to the incessant night and frequent rain, the vast, near-vacant castle and the seven others he shared it with. Maybe he minded being the new guy less than he'd thought. Maybe it was better, for now, just to have somewhere to belong.

He started walking again, still following the narrow deer trail that snaked through the tangled brush beneath the trees. The forest was old, and most of the trees were giants compared to anything Axel had seen before, rising so high that from his vantage point it was impossible to see their tops even in daylight. Now, an hour before dawn, only the massive trunks were visible in the twilight, tendrils of mist curling about their tangled roots. Half-hidden in the fog, a blanket of tree seedlings, leafy ferns, and various plants he couldn't identify surged with the new life of spring, masking the rich earth of the forest floor. Even the trunks of the trees were crusted with clumps of verdant moss; the place was so green and wet that Axel knew he couldn't burn it even if he tried.

He knew because he _had_ tried the night before, in a moment of utter frustration when the fallen branches he'd found proved too damp and rotten to burn even by magical means. The forest was cold at night, and though Axel was generally unfazed by cool weather, the damp air was enough to put a chill in his bones. When his campfire plans had failed miserably, Axel lashed out with his power, building a ball of flame a good twenty feet in diameter around him. The living carpet of the forest floor had crisped to ash in an instant where he stood, but the great trees were too green and vital to burn. When the outburst was over, the flame could not sustain itself and died quickly as it had come.

So Axel had spent the night curled in the hollow formed by an ancient tree's roots, the damp earth cold beneath him. He'd managed to summon a little ball of self-sustaining magical fire, basking in its heat, but as Axel's mind turned to sleep his concentration wandered and the wisp faded away. The redhead had awakened a short while ago, stiff from the chill, to find the forest thick with clammy fog. Now he hated this world more than ever.

Axel was jarred from his thoughts by the splashing of water at his feet. He hadn't seen the narrow creek hidden in the mist, and now his boots were soaked, the cold water seeping through at the laces. The tall Nobody cursed as he stepped onto the bank and continued along the deer path, deciding that no matter what, he wasn't going to spend another night in this forest. He knew the Superior would be angry if he returned without discovering the reason for the unusual energy patterns, but the detector in his pocket hadn't clicked even once since he'd arrived. Maybe that smug little Zexion had made a mistake in flagging this world for scouting. Then again, knowing the Cloaked Schemer, maybe it had been a _deliberate_ sort of mistake, just to give the new recruit a few nights of misery in this wretched forest.

The job certainly would have been easier if he'd been given his lesser Nobodies yet. Vexen had promised they would be finished soon, but Axel knew the project wouldn't be a high priority. For whatever reason, Vexen didn't seem to like the Organization's newest member, glaring at him with almost palpable distaste whenever the two crossed paths in the hallways of Never Was. Axel wondered if the scientist was taking his time with the task just to cause the pyro a little more frustration, knowing how much harder missions were without the aid of the lesser Nobodies.

Axel had seen a prototype in the Chilly Academic's lab weeks ago, and had been impressed by its lean, agile form and the bristle-pointed arms that complimented his own spiky hair. Vexen had asked him to spar with the creature – he called it an "Assassin" – and Axel had pushed the prototype to its limit, whereupon it had suddenly exploded in a final destructive blast. The scientist was furious at the loss of his model, but Axel had convinced him to keep that attack in the final version, knowing it'd be the last thing an enemy would ever expect. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to change Vexen's mind about the Assassin's color scheme; the blond had just smirked and said the purple would stay, no matter how much Axel might _prefer_ red-

Axel stopped again, peering down at the ground as best he could in the fog. The deer trail had vanished: either it had dwindled away or Axel had simply lost the path as he walked. He cursed again, angry at this world for being so damned unmanageable, and at himself for being so caught up in memories that he couldn't keep an eye on the trail – but when you can't feel emotions, what is left to define your being except memories?

_Click._

Axel froze. He could have sworn he heard-

_Click._

The redhead hastily pulled the detector out of his pocket, staring intently at the blue needle that dominated the face of the small device. Right now the needle was resting at 0, but-

_Click._

The needle jumped a quarter of the way up the scale, then relaxed to its original position. Axel pressed a little red button on the detector's side and a lesser window beneath the main face lit up, displaying a digital readout: a small arrow, trembling like a compass needle, pointing off to his left. The source of the strange energy patterns was definitely here, but it was a fair distance away. He'd better get walking, then.

As he turned to follow the detector's prompt, Axel noticed for the first time that a biting wind had sprung up. The wayward breeze stirred the fog like witch's brew in a cauldron, darting between the trees with a faint, ghostly whistle.

Llanys couldn't help but smile as she watched the spiky redhead trudge through the misty forest. If his sense of direction was any indication of his abilities, this would be far too easy. As it was, once she had picked up his trail it'd been no challenge at all to follow him. She glided beneath the trees like a phantom, keeping a safe distance behind just in case. Llanys was in no hurry; as long as she made her move before the morning sun burned away the fog, she would still be at the peak of her power.

When the black-clad stranger nearly fell into the narrow creek cutting across the path, Llanys briefly wondered if she should call the whole thing off. He certainly didn't seem to be much of a threat – but she sternly reminded herself that this new recruit was the Organization's number eight, meaning that Llanys and her comrades were now outnumbered two to one. Then her mind flickered back to the huge swath of charred ground in the clearing where the redhead had spent the night, and Llanys pushed the last doubts from her mind. It had to be done, but she must be careful not to be seen.

If she were to fail – if the Nobody struggling through the trees twenty yards ahead of her were to prove tougher than she anticipated – even that wouldn't be as terrible as if he got a good look at her. After all, the Organization didn't know that they had survived. Llanys was reasonably certain their Queen would forgive her for acting on her own, but if she were to be discovered, the consequences would be severe indeed.

The girl waited patiently behind a particularly large tree as her quarry stopped in his tracks. Apparently, he finally realized that he'd lost the trail. The twilight had lightened somewhat, signaling that the sun would rise soon, but in the deep shade of the forest, the difference was barely noticeable.

Llanys used the moment of rest to adjust her brown cloak, thankful for the cover it provided. Her long hair was pale as moonlight, and her skin nearly as fair, which would make her far too conspicuous among the earthen tones of the wood.

_Click._

Llanys paused, slender white fingers frozen in the act of adjusting a brown leather glove. What on earth was that?

_Click._

She pulled on the other glove, covering the exposed skin, and peered out cautiously from her hiding place. Through the heavy screen of fog, the redhead was a dim shape bent to stare at a small device in his palm. Llanys sent out a little gust of wind to get a better look.

_Click._

It was a detector of some kind; it seemed that the spiky-haired Nobody had located whatever he was here to find, but it wasn't terribly close by. Llanys watched him set off again, now seeming certain of his direction. She still had time.

As she glided forward through the trees, careful to keep her distance in the veiling mist, Llanys found herself wishing she could have brought Aeden with her. Despite her slight frame, the girl was a skilled fighter, but she would have felt better if the odds were weighted in her favor. Besides, Aeden was the one who tipped her off to the new recruit's whereabouts – one of the benefits of having space as his element was that Aeden could sense without much difficulty when a portal between worlds was opened. Her black-haired comrade loved a good fight; it was a shame he couldn't be here.

Still, Llanys knew it would have been very unwise to bring Aeden, given the circumstances. She was well aware that she was the only one who could pull this off without being seen, and the fear that the Organization might discover them was more important than soothing her nerves with the strength of numbers. Besides, the Queen was more likely to forgive Llanys for acting on her own than a neophyte like Aeden. No, it was better that she was alone.

It wasn't like she couldn't handle this new recruit by herself, anyway, Llanys reflected as she continued to stalk her prey. She trained every day with an almost religious fervor, determined never again to be caught off guard as she had been the day her world fell to the darkness. She was strong now, and she knew that when she went into battle, her weapon would move like an extension of her being.

Llanys smiled to herself as she thought of her weapon, the seven-foot glaive that she'd dubbed Thunder's Call. She'd made one modification that she was very proud of, adding a javelin point on the butt end of the shaft, which allowed her to throw the heavy glaive like a spear. Llanys permitted herself the luxury of imagination for a moment: the feel of the wooden shaft smooth beneath her grip, the sharp whistle of the blade as it cut the air in the silver arc of a swing. Soon she would summon the polearm to her hand, and the battle would begin.

–

The approaching sun was only a pink light on the eastern horizon when Luca left her family's cottage, her green cloak pulled tightly around her to block out the morning chill. The girl stopped to admire the sky as she turned her steps toward the nearby forest; the waxing moon hung low in the west, going to its rest just as the day began. Luca had always loved the early mornings: rising before dawn, when the village was quiet and still, walking through the misty forest with only her dog for company. These journeys had a practical purpose in gathering the herbs used to dye the yarn from her family's sheep, but they were also Luca's favorite part of the day.

Running out ahead of his master, Luca's dog, Blaze, stirred up a flock of small birds picking through the young grass at the edge of the forest. Luca felt a wordless rush of exhilaration pass between them and reflected that her dog enjoyed these trips as much as she did. Blaze returned to her side almost seeming to smile, though his pointed, heavily-furred ears remained alert to every noise of the wood. Luca stopped for a moment to run her fingers through the dog's shaggy red coat, and his fox-brush tail wagged happily.

After a moment, the girl continued along the narrow path into the forest, humming a wordless tune as her dog trotted by her side.

* * *

Please read and review! I'm posting the first two chapters together so we can hurry up and get to the action ^_^ Any input is appreciated, since this is the first part of a story that's been bouncing around in my head for a long time.


	2. Chapter 2: Knight-Errant

_Down seven flights she wound her way,_

_Feet flying down the stony stair –_

_Felt first the sun of summer's day,_

_Breathed first a taste of free-blown air._

_These marvels yet escaped her sight_

_For one sight she could not forsake:_

_Upon the grass, her wounded Knight –_

_The Maiden thought her heart would break._

_- "The Knight of the Tower," lines 341-348_

Deep in the shade of the great trees, Llanys continued to stalk her prey, keeping just close enough to hear the detector Axel carried. The clicks had been growing more frequent, building to a slow but steady rhythm. The light, too, was increasing, as the morning sun neared the horizon. A quarter-mile ahead, Llanys' scouting breeze indicated a clearing in Axel's path, which would make detection far more likely. If she was going to strike, it needed to be now.

Llanys took a deep breath and with a fleeting thought summoned her weapon to her right hand. The steel glaive materialized silently in her grip, and she lifted it over her shoulder in a striking position. With a single, swift movement, she stepped out from behind the tree and adjusted her aim, knowing that with a little luck she could finish this with one shot. Llanys drew back her arm and cast the glaive with all her might.

For whatever reason, it was at this very moment that something caught Axel's attention, and he started to turn. What should have been a clean killing blow instead pierced low on his left shoulder, the javelin point of the weapon passing clean through his body before before the shaft lodged in his flesh.

Llanys cursed under her breath before flying into action. She drew the mist tight about her, pulling the fog into a dense shield to hide her from view. A split-second later, she called her weapon back, taking it in both hands as she readied for battle. The grip beneath her left hand was already slick with her opponent's blood; she had wounded him badly. Though Llanys was well aware that Nobodies were far stronger than their human selves had been, she knew that she had already claimed the advantage in this fight.

Axel fell to his knees with the impact's force, all the breath knocked out of him. Pain flooded his senses as his mind tried to process what had just happened - and then he saw the bloody point of the weapon sticking out of his chest. An instant later, the javelin point vanished, and he realized the weapon had been called back to the hand that threw it. Somewhere in the back of his mind, his survival instincts were screaming, _get up_.

Faster than he would have thought possible, Axel was on his feet. He turned to face his attacker, summoning his chakrams with a flaming flourish, and his eyes widened at what he saw. Not twenty feet away was a whirlwind of white mist, swirling and pulsing in the weak rays of the rising sun. He could see a dim shape shrouded in the gathered fog, and for an instant he caught a glimpse of eyes within - eyes blue as the zenith of the summer sky, and electric with the rush of battle. Unseen hands gripped the strange weapon that had wounded him only seconds earlier, the light glinting off the polearm's steel blade.

Axel realized he'd been holding his breath, and the sharp pain in his chest as he inhaled snapped him forcefully back to the conflict ahead. A quick glance at the long shaft of the glaive, and the redhead knew he would never get close enough to strike at the shrouded figure with his chakrams in hand; he'd have to cast them instead, something he wasn't particularly skilled at yet.

The white whirlwind advanced on him with surprising speed, closing the distance between them in the span of a heartbeat. The long weapon flashed out in a glittering arc, which Axel met with the spiked edges of both chakrams. The force of impact knocked him back half a step as sparks flew from the crossed blades, and Axel realized that his opponent must be quite strong to wield the heavy weapon with such power. As his attacker pulled back, readying for another strike, Axel retaliated with three short bursts of flame. The last found its mark in the center of the swirling mist. Axel smiled grimly to hear the muffled yelp of pain from within, but his joy was short-lived as his mysterious adversary attacked again with the shining glaive. He narrowly managed to dodge the blade, hearing it cut the air just inches from his face as he jumped back.

The two combatants were a little over ten feet apart now, and Axel judged that he might have a chance at using his chakrams. He cast another round of fireballs at the whirlwind, then as the figure moved swiftly out of the way, threw the circular blade in his right hand at its retreating form. The spinning blade passed through the edge of the vortex, where it was caught and whirled around by the intense wind. Axel thought he saw the figure within the storm shudder as though the blade had found its mark, but his opponent gave no other sign of injury. The black-clad Nobody called the chakram back to his hand just in time to deflect another strike from the glaive.

As the fight wore on, Axel could feel himself growing weaker. The wound in his chest was bleeding heavily, and he was starting to feel dizzy. His opponent must have decided that simply waiting him out would be an effective strategy, for the wind-shrouded figure attacked less frequently, keeping just out of range of his chakrams. Axel knew that his only chance to win this fight was to overwhelm his adversary in one final, all-out attack.

Luca picked her way over the tangled roots of the great trees, heading toward a certain clearing where the flowering herbs she sought should be at the peak of their spring bloom. Years spent wandering these woods meant that Luca needed no trail, navigating by landmarks that would pass unnoticed to outsiders – the angle of a fallen tree, a slight depression filled with rocks, a patch of a rare plant. Blaze trotted along beside her, his coal-black nose sniffing at the morning air.

Suddenly, the dog darted off between the trees. As he dashed past, the memory of a scent passed between them. The metallic tang was immediately familiar.

_Blood_.

Luca rushed to follow Blaze as the dog ran deeper into the forest.

Llanys cursed under her breath at the spiky redhead watching her from a dozen feet away. Waiting out an opponent wasn't the honorable way to win a fight, but she felt she had no choice. His desperate chakram cast had indeed struck home, opening a shallow gash that spanned both shoulders. The cut wasn't nearly so dangerous as the wound she had inflicted on her foe, but it made lifting the heavy glaive difficult. Under the circumstances, Llanys saw no alternative but to wait until Axel was too weakened to oppose her before moving in for the final strike.

Yet there was something about his demeanor that suggested that Axel wasn't quite defeated yet. Call it a sixth sense gained from many battles, but the white-haired girl could tell that he still held out hope of victory. Llanys knew that she was in no position to parry an attack with her weapon, while without it her agility should be enough to evade her opponent. Reluctantly, she released the glaive's shaft, allowing it to float close beside her to provide the illusion that it was still in her hands.

A moment later, Axel lashed out simultaneously with a burst of flame and both chakrams, using most of his remaining strength in a final effort to take her down. Llanys barely dodged the spinning blades, but the edge of the fire blast caught one leg, sending searing pain along her calf. Reflexively, Llanys lashed out with her own elemental power, weakening the shield of mist to launch a lightning bolt at her foe.

The electric strike caught Axel square in the chest, sending him flying backward with his coat fluttering like the wrecked plumage of a wounded bird. He tried to scream as pain shot through every nerve in his body, but found that his mouth refused to open. At last he struck one of the giant trees and black oblivion fell over his world.

Llanys looked up from her defeated opponent to see a wide-eyed girl about her own age watching her from a short distance away. With Llanys' whirlwind shield in tatters, the mere snatches of mist that floated around her were nowhere near enough to hide her from view. A momentary surge of panic overcame even the rush of victory; she had succeeded in her mission, but she had been seen. Without thinking, Llanys opened a portal and retreated to the safety of the Between.

Luca ran to the black-clad figure slumped against one of the giant trees, trying to push from her mind the fantastical being she had just seen. It had to have been one of the_ leanan sidhe_, the ominous faery-women of the forest that the old tales warned against. Though none had been seen for nearly a thousand years, since the time of the Great War, Luca did not doubt her own eyes – and this redheaded stranger must be a great warrior to have stood against that mythical being.

Kneeling on the mossy earth beside the wounded man, Luca tried to examine the extent of the damage. The glaive's passage had pierced his lung, and his black coat was soaked in blood. His breathing was rapid, but shallow, a sure sign of massive blood loss. If the bleeding was not stopped, he would die in a matter of minutes.

The shock of her touch returned Axel to consciousness as Luca placed her hands on his chest as gently as she could. He felt cold and somehow disconnected from himself; the pain came through as only a dull ache, something happening to someone else. He opened his eyes to find a girl's face bent over his, the tips of her chestnut waves brushing against his cheeks. Her deep brown eyes held his gaze for a moment, and Axel became aware of a strange warmth flowing from her hands where they rested on his chest.

"Please don't die," she whispered, and then suddenly she was falling backward, a spreading red stain blossoming across the bodice of her gray dress.

* * *

I feed on your reviews O_o ...but seriously, knowing that someone else wants to see where my story goes encourages me to keep writing! If anyone is wondering, the "Knight of the Tower" excerpts at the beginning of each chapter are also written by me; this poem will become important to the story later on. I didn't really write hundreds of lines, I'm just imagining where each excerpt would fit if it were part of a larger saga.


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